(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array panel, and in detail, to a thin film transistor array panel having repair lines for repairing wire defects generated during a manufacturing process thereof.
(b) Description of the Related Art
A thin film transistor (TFT) array panel is used as a circuit panel for driving a pixel independently in a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an electro luminescence (EL) display. A TFT array panel comprises scanning signal lines (gate lines), image signal lines (data lines), TFTs connected to the gate and data lines, pixel electrodes connected to the TFTs, a gate insulating layer formed on the gate lines, and a passivation layer formed on the data lines and TFTs.
A TFT has a gate electrode which is a part of a gate line, a semiconductor layer forming a channel, a source electrode which is a part of a data line, and a drain electrode. A TFT is a switching device for transmitting or cutting off image signals which are transmitted through a data line according to scanning signals which are transmitted through a gate line.
In the TFT array panel, data lines, gate lines, and TFTs have fine sizes of micrometer dimensions, since they are formed in each pixel. Accordingly, there is much probability of occurring defects such as line shorts or discontinuities during the manufacturing process. Because of this, a repair structure such as a repair ring is formed on the TFT array panel. When a defect occurs, the repair ring is connected to the defected line through laser illumination, and appropriate portions of the defected line and the repair ring are cut off though laser illumination to repair the defect. Such a repair ring is formed to cross over gate lines or data lines with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. This structure allows the repair ring to be connected to gate lines or data lines through a shorting method such as a laser illumination.
In the meantime, the repair structure may cause other defects by introducing static electricity. That is, static electricity may be introduced into a TFT panel through the repair ring during the manufacturing process, it may be transferred to signal lines through insulation breakage, and it may burn TFTs of a display area.